Weblogs

The FREE event will feature 5 guest experts including Pauline Saliga, Executive Director for the Society of Architectural Historians. This first summit, Starting Wright, will explore Frank Lloyd Wright's early roots and Pauline will address how much design influence Wright had in the Charnley-Persky House (1892) — plus how his work there compares to other Chicago homes like the Winslow House (1893). More info and register for the event here.

LEGOs are having a good week, thanks to the Oscars. Shining the spotlight on Wright-related LEGO creations, here's a link to some photos by Mark Hertzberg of a LEGO model of Frank Lloyd Wright’s SC Johnson Research Tower built by Chris Eyerly of Kenosha. It's on display in Fortaleza Hall on the SC Johnson campus in Racine, WI. See more at wrightinracine.com.

The New Zealand Herald spotlights a blogger that spends his time locating and photographing New Zealand's Modern architecture at his blog called Christchurch Modern. Read the article here and peruse the blog here.

Looking for a little graphic inspiration on a gray winter day? Core77.com provides a link to a treasure trove of WPA posters from the Library of Congress that feature bold, modern designs sure to brighten-up anyone's day. Check them out here.

Mark Hertzberg sends word that he has posted photos to Wright in Racine of the celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice Charles Montooth at Unity Chapel and Taliesin, which took place on Saturday, January 3, 2015. See and read more here.

Mark Hertzberg sends word that architect and Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice, Charles Montooth, passed away December 31, 2014 in Spring Green, Wisconsin at the age of 94. Read and see more about Charles at Mark's blog, Wright in Racine.

Colin Edward Slais is an architect and a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, and in preparation of the 2014 FLWBC Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on October 29th-November 2nd, he wrote a blog post about what he's learned from Frank Lloyd Wright. Read it here.

ArchDaily recently spotlighted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose robust Romanesque buildings and use of brick and stone helped lay the foundation for the work and ideas of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Read and see more here.

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Eppstein Residence (1951) in "The Acres" community in Galesburg, MI has been undergoing some much needed TLC, much of which has been documented on this blog. Now the Usonian, which is for sale for $475,000, is ready to be shown in its first open house, Sunday September 14, 2014 from 3 - 5 pm. If you're near the Kalamazoo area, then go check it out! More info here.

Not everyone has the space or means for their own architectural library. With that in mind, ArchDaily posts links to 25 classic books on architecture that can be read on-line...for free! Check out the full list here and enjoy!

Because the city had not idea what to do with it and people were not very preservation-minded about such things, the Larkin Building was unceremoniously torn down--a loss that still reverberates to this day. The article on Upstate Modern Blog provides interesting period newspaper clippings from the late 1940s that show an attempt to sell the building and its ultimate demise. Read and see it all here. Thanks to Mark H. for the link.

I came across this strange "advertorial" blog post selling the finer points of the 2014 Honda Civic as it compares to Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple. Wright architecture has either officially entered the American mainstream, or has completely sold out. Decide for yourself and get sold here.

Mark Hertzberg's Wright in Racine blog features two updates this morning after a busy weekend. One showcases the open house that took place at the Wright-designed A.D. German Warehouse in Richland Center, WI. The other features the yearly gathering at Taliesin North to celebrate Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday (which was yesterday, June 8). Read them both here.

Patrick Steffes from the blog, Forgotten Chicago, sent word that he has recently published (and just updated) an article PrairieMod readers will enjoy. The article includes previously unknown local projects by Bertrand Goldberg, Paul Schweikher, Edgar Miller, Harold Zook, and others, with an emphasis on lesser known Art Deco and postwar modernist buildings. It also includes photos of long-gone retailers, architect’s offices, and forgotten features of the Century of Progress. Read it here.

Author and Wright collector, Douglas Steiner sends word that he recently had the opportunity to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sutton Residence in McCook, Nebraska, which has been beautifully and meticulously restored. After the visit, he put one of his "Wright Studies" together on the home. Read it here.

After a recent trip to the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright's work, Mark Hertzberg posted some fantastic photos of Florida Southern College to his weblog, Wright in Racine. See them all here.

Michael S. writes to thank PrairieMod for the role it played in helping his dream house. In November 2013, Michael and his husband bought the Delbert W. Meier House, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed American System Built home in Iowa and started blogging about the adventures bringing the 1917-built home into the 21st century on their blog, Mr. and Mr. Blandings. More after the jump...

Bill S. sends a link to a blog post on the Charles R. Schiffner-designed Ahwatukee Arizona “House of the Future" (1979). Built with advanced-for-the-time computer automated controls, the house was built for $1,200,000 and apparently offered tours for $3. It's fallen into obscurity now, but is worth a closer look. Anyone know more about this home and its design? Read more here.

Mark Hertzberg has posted photos of the completed rehabilitation of Frank Lloyd Wright's Thomas P. Hardy House to his weblog, Wright in Racine. Check out the tremendous work done to save this important Wright work here.

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Samuel Eppstein House in "The Acres" community of Galesburg, MI has been getting some much needed TLC. This blog has been doing a fantastic job keeping us up-to-date on the progress and providing some pics of the work done.

The blog editors at Architizer recently featured a post stating that The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Winslow House was perhaps the earliest McMansion. So, let me get this straight: Architzer thinks one of the most significant works in the history of architecture is the prototype for America's architectural Anti-Christ? Although it's all apparently stated as a lure to get you to read the article and the comparison is dropped, it's still a cheap gimmick at attention. Read more here.

Curbed Chicago recently featured Martin Gonzalez's depressing photos from 2013 of the Bertrand Goldberg-designed Old Prentice Women's Hospital being destroyed. It's a sad reminder of how fragile the protections are for works of MCM architecture and how short-sighted institutions like Northwestern University and the City of Chicago can be. Read and see more here.

Author and historian Jack Quinan's Weekly Wright Up blog provides an exploration of Italian architect Carlo Scarpa's work (which is the subject of a new book by Robert McCarter) and how Frank Lloyd Wright's ideas may have provided influence. Read it here.

Wright Chat user SpringGreen was good enough to post a link to an online exploration of the rarely seen Frank Lloyd Wright-designed George and Mildred Ablin House (1958) in Bakersfield, CA. See all the photos here.

Author and Wright historian, Jack Quinan, posted an interesting entry on his "Weekly Wright-Up" blog in which he explores Frank Lloyd Wright's fascination with 3-legged chairs—which are notoriously unstable to sit on. Read more about it here.

2013 was a mixed bag for historic preservation. Curbed National mapped the year's biggest wins and losses as a way to drive home what was worth celebrating and what we should lament. See it here. Let's hope 2014 has more wins than losses!

Mark Hertzberg's Wright in Racine blog reports that the Edgar Tafel-designed Carl and Marie Albert House in Wind Point, Wisconsin will be saved. The house's condition put it at the center of a legal battle that could have potentially led to its demolition. Luckily, it seems like forward momentum with its repairs will (hopefully) secure its long-term future. Read more here.

It's all over the news that the SC Johnson Company is trying to legally halt the auctioning-off of some of its building's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture at the upcoming Sotheby's auction on December 18, 2013. Author and journalist, Mark Hertzberg was asked by the Journal Times in Racine to write a piece about the significance of this particular Wright furniture design. Read it at his blog, Wright in Racine.

'Tis the season for gingerbread re-creations of architecture. Visualnews.com highlights a series of impressive gingerbread art museums (including, of course, Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim museum deceptively photographed at left) created by food artists Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves for a display at Dylan’s Candy Bar during Art Basel Miami. Check them out here.

Mark Hertzberg's Wright in Racine reports that the Edgar Tafel-designed Carl and Marie Albert House in Racine, WI was granted another court-ordered reprieve Wednesday from the threat of being demolished. Read and see more here.

Curbed Chicagp reports on the price chopping happening to the 1953 A. James Speyer designed Ben Rose House in Highland Park, IL (aka the "Ferris Bueller" house). It started sky-high at $2.3 million and is now whittled down to a mere $1.295 million. Read more about it here.

Craig H. sends a link to a Curbed LA post announcing that the original owners of one of the 10 units in Gregory Ain's Avenel Housing Cooperative built in 1947 in Los Angeles is on the market for the first time ever. Read more here.

Wright in Racine reports that the Edgar Tafel-designed Carl and Marie Albert House got a
reprieve from a possible raze order when an October 30 court status hearing
was postponed until November 13. The homeowner has said the roof will be finished by then (a critical component to have done to save the home as ordered by the Judge) but we'll see if it happens and the home is saved. Read more here.

Curbed Chicago provides an on-line link to a short documentary film titledThe Absent Column by Nathan Eddy about the two-year tug of war over the failed attempt to save Bertrand Goldberg's Prentice Women's Hospital. Read and see more here.

Wright in Racine reports that tomorrow's scheduled status hearing by a Racine County Circuit Court Judge could decide the fate of Edgar Tafel’s Carl and Marie Albert House. The owner was required to get a new roof by the hearing date and unfortunately that has not happened yet. We'll find out tomorrow why and what happens next. Read more here.

Michael Maguire recently posted that the weblog documenting the building of the "Usonian House" at Frank Lloyd Wright's Florida Southern College has been updated with a video interview of Ken Berman, glass artist and owner of The Glass Onion in Lakeland, FL about his role in installing the building's glass inserts. See it here.

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Emil Bach House in Chicago, IL is undergoing an extensive restoration to prep it for public tours and overnight stays. You can read about some of the efforts and discoveries made during the course of the work at the Emil Bach House blog. Read and see more here.

Curbed National reports that Neiman Marcus unveiled its annual holiday Fantasy Gifts guide, which includes a single night at The Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut for the eye-popping cost of $30,000. Meh...give me a stay at any of the various Frank Lloyd Wright rentals instead for a fraction of that "Needless Markup" price. Read more here.

Michael Maguire has been doing a heroic job of documenting the building of the Usonian House Tourism and Education Center at Florida Southern College. Workers are now in the home stretch of major
construction and interior finishing so that the building will be ready for its "premiere" on October 31, 2013. FOllow the progress here.

John King of SFGate's "Urban Landscapes" blog recently wrote that the developers of the 1956 Telegraph Hill Tower, Collin H. and Mildred Valpey Dong, originally approached Frank Lloyd Wright to design their building prior to selecting architect H.C. Baumann. What might have been! Read more about it here.

Chicago Tonight's Art Beat: Inside the Arts Blog recently featured the uber-rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed 1896 The House Beautiful book that many of us would give our eye teeth for. I've had the privledge of seeing Wright's very own copy of this book in person and it is beyond words. Now if I could just find a copy at a Chicago used book sale some day. Read more here.

Mark Hertzberg's Wright in Racine reports that the raze order for Edgar
Tafel’s Carl Albert House in Wind Point (Racine), WI has been stayed until October 30, 2013, but if structural repairs have not been completed, and if the house has not been re-roofed by that point, the house is likely a goner. Read and see more here.